Manifesto

I was intrigued by a recent Inc Magazine feature that introduced me to the Holstee Manifesto. Holstee is a clothing company based in Brooklyn, NY. Their products and services are not the story. In recent years companies like Zappos and TOMS have emerged as attractive companies for whom to work. Not because they sell shoes but because they have created extraordinary company cultures. Zappos' in-office parades brought exposure to their company culture. TOMS devotion to philanthropy inspired millions. In Holstee's case, their organizational exposure was created by a well written manifesto. It inspired me to write my own....enjoy!

When you were 12 did you have a plan to be who you are today? If not, is there something you can do to change your path? Are your dreams your own? What would it take to get you to the part in the movie where everything changes? It is not enough to talk under your breath, you have to dream big and act! Positivity involves a type of thinking that is actionable. It is much easier to criticize while others take action. You will never regret putting yourself out there. You cannot pretend you do not want more. There is never an ideal time to do anything. You have to will yourself to the impossible and make it the new standard. Everyone will celebrate when you reach the mountain top, but the climb is your own. We are all prisoners to the qualification of possible that has been set before us by people who care less than we do. It is hard to erase the line and paint it in a new spot. There are millions of people in the stands with their arms folded and only a few on the field. The privilege of excellence starts with volunteerism. You have to be willing to fall down in front of a whole bunch of people. You have to be willing to take the field with your head up. No achievement has ever come from passive observance. This is your invitation to change everything. Those whose head's are on Mt. Rushmore were willing to fall on their face. Most people will pass on their opportunity, others will never even see it coming...and the very few will decide to be Heroes by the very practice of trying. Your dreams are readily available. Everything you always wanted is yours. Your greatest opposition is yourself and that opponent is consistently surprised when you push back.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

When You Were Young

Last night I watched the Fab Five documentary on ESPN. It was a tear jerker. I went to High School in Michigan during the University of Michigan's greatest recruiting effort. These five basketball players were our age, they were amazingly talented, and they were not taking any BS from anyone. Fresh out of High School they got on to the hard court and beat the crap out of the Seniors who had been on the big stage for 4 years.

For the first time in our lives, My friends and I had comrades who were changing the world. If they could do it, we could too. We, like them, were cocky and full of life! It was an amazing time in my life....young and full of hope!

And so we revisit the Generational Phenomena in the workplace: The tired generalization that Gen Y is an entitled group without discipline. The Fab Five were held to similar stereotypes of Generation Y...Full of Talent, lacking discipline.

I teach Human Relations courses through Dale Carnegie University. My latest group of students includes a Fab Four entrepreneur group in the Computer Programming world. I am enamored by their uncompromising drive to conduct their professional lives by their own rules. They navigate their careers with a chip on their shoulder with the same confidence that the Fab Five had when they took the court. I remember that point in my life and how great it felt to be untethered by the regulations of the 'more senior' workforce.

The questions surface:
Do You Wish to Lead your Millennial Superstars to Success?
or
Do You Wish to Regulate the Motivation of your Millennial Superstars?

Allowing Awesome
At Harvard, MIT, and other elite educational institutes; the purpose is to create a career not qualify for a job. These institutes have empowered the young upstart geniuses who grew up with their heads in computer monitors. The premise: why would you want to work for someone who you are smarter than? Awesome Question and one that fuels the motivation of the young.

Why not change the world instead of fitting into it?

The Leadership Perspective
Most organizations have a logical formula for success. Put people in positions to navigate a system that will produce results. Makes sense.....to those who are of the stability mind frame. However, the systematic development model is a prison to the creative minds that will soon run our country. Bless Them!

If you wish to curtail energy...you are a Manager not a Leader!

Generation Y is not an entitled generation! They simply have greater potential than we do...end of story! They are less programmed for predictability. This should be celebrated!

Let's Celebrate!
You know if you see the 'new girl' as a threat and she knows that you wish to categorize her motivation..."slow down, your making us look bad". Lame!

When I was young I thought I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. I did what I was told, made my numbers, and completed every task on time....only to receive more tasks. I was miscast in an organization that lacked the ability to utilize my strengths. I wanted to do everything....they wanted me to do nothing. I wish someone, anyone, would have told me to create something instead of advising me to 'slow down'.

I hope I never stop moving forward. I hope the youngsters in this world keep me practicing. I am 100 times more motivated by the young than the old. My direct and extensive experience has given me no reason to think otherwise. Sorry....

Mark Zuckerberg, Tony Hsieh and Blake Mycoskie have shown us that motivation does not need a predetermined system of efficiency. That if we choose to categorize, we limit ourselves. That the gift of creativity is what makes companies great.

The Age of Predictability is Over! Generation Y will take over much quicker than Generation X has. Your position at the negotiating table may change much quicker than you think...

You Better Get on The Bus!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave